musings of a gluten free runner » raw

Lärabars & My Sanity

Dana — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:09:30 +0000

It’s Monday and I have a headache. OK, maybe it’s not really a headache… maybe it’s just that I have an endorphine hangover from the excitement and stress of last week’s events and I need a vacation.

Well, after going downstairs for a hit of Americano (bad!) and snack, I realized that I really take the Lärabar for granted.

Lärabars are always there when you need them. They are my food in a pinch. These bars are vegan and have no gluten, no soy, no gmo’s, and are only sweetened with fruit. Except for the newer Peanut Butter Cookie flavor, they are completely raw. (I don’t eat peanuts for other reasons though). All the flavors even have fewer than 6 ingredients. How many other foods can say that?

They also make a great bar to take on the road for a recovery food. Every ingredient is a food in a recognizable state to your body! That means less waist to build up and process and the more nutrients the body can absorb from the food. Reading the ingredients for most “energy bars” is a frightening and (hopefully) sobering moment. I wish people would stop to realize that if they can’t pronounce something, they probably shouldn’t be eating it.

My Favorites: Cherry Pie (cherries have been proven to have anti-inflammatory properties, so great after exercise!), Pistachio, Cinnamon Roll and Jocolat Chocolate Hazelnut.

One upside about the company being bought out by General Mills is that you can find them everywhere from cafeterias to gas stations. And as anyone with food allergies or restrictions can relate to: they mean not having to go hungry. So, thank you Lärabars. I owe you more than one.

Green Berry-Chia Smoothie

Dana — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 04:02:00 +0000

I’ve gotten a lot of questions about the birth control pill and I’ll address those issues in my next post when I have more time. I just wanted to share my delicious recovery smoothie that I made today after running:

2 Cups water
1 Cup blueberries (I use the frozen wild blueberries from Trader Joes)

1 Cup raspberries

3 Packets stevia (I love NuNaturals brand- seems to have the best flavor)

2 Tbs Chia Seeds

3 Tbs Spirulina powder

A few splashes (maybe 1/4-1/2 cup) of Coconut Milk (SoDelicious Unsweetened)

I just had never made this combination before and I really think it’s a winner. We got back late from the University of Oregon Relays Meet in Eugene and slept in, so we’re just now back from our run- a nice 11 mile loop in forest park from our front door. One of those days that just makes you appreciate all the little things…. like berry smoothies in the afternoon. Cheers!

Coconut Candies

Dana — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:46:00 +0000

I’ve started to think that I am addicted to sugar lately because I simply cannot stop eating dates…. especially the huge medjools in the refridgerated produce… mmmm. Then at lunch today I got a date bar from Oskri (I eat their sesame flax bars all the time). The bar was 100% dates and so sweet it was almost cloying- like eating a big tablespoon of honey straight from the pot. It definitely needed some meaty walnuts to balance it out…. I did end up eating all 160 calories of it, just in small pieces.

I’m waiting for Natalia Rose’s newest book to come in the mail: Detox 4 Women. It was just released on April 7th and I ordered it that day from Amazon.com, but it just hasn’t arrived yet. Hopefully it won’t be back ordered too long since I think I need to start the yeast phase soon!

Until then…

This recipe comes from the VegNews Recipe club. They have great recipes (vegan, but not always gluten free or raw) and they just shoot them straight to your email address. They are often a source for inspiration in the kitchen.
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup raw walnuts
3/4 cup dates, pitted
3/4 cup dried apricots
3/4 cup shredded coconut
2 tablespoons orange juice
Zest of 1 orange
Shredded coconut, for coating

What You Do: 1. In a food processor, pulverize the raisins, walnuts, dates, and apricots for 1 to 2 minutes or until finely chopped. Add coconut, orange juice and zest. Process for an additional 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture comes together to form a ball.

2. Place some shredded coconut on a plate. Dampen hands with water, form mixture into one-inch balls, and roll in shredded coconut

Snacking Simply… Raw, Grain-Free, Paleo-Friendly

Dana — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 21:11:00 +0000

My recently favorite snack/desert obsession has been the beautiful and quite amazingly healthy date. There are times when I am in the middle of enjoying a piece of fruit, be it fresh or dried, and my mind begins to spiral into complete awe for the substance dancing across my taste buds. Good fruit, in its purest state, can be more tantalizing than any other food on earth. The fact that it is natural and comes packed with nutrients and fiber, is enough to make me pause, mid-chew to fully savor the experience.

That being said, I don’t know why I haven’t been eating more dates. I’ve read this recipe in a few raw food “cookbooks,” and I think it is ingenious:

Simple Pecan Pie

Ingredients: 1 date, 1 pecan
To make: pit date, if needed. place pecan inside date.
enjoy.

Pure genius.

Nutshell…

Dana — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 21:48:00 +0000

Sunday night Ian and I ventured over to an amazing new vegan restaurant on North Williams. “Wow” is all I can say. The food was incredible! No isolated soy protein in the place, hurray! This was vegan food with a heart, soul, and conscience. They even added coding on the menu so you could tell which dishes were gluten-free and which ones could easily be adapted to gluten-free upon request. Absolutely FABULOUS. If it was up to me, we’d be here once a week.

We even ordered desert….and I don’t want to spend any more time describing it, because it is making me drool thinking about the grilled pinapple and brown sugar sherbet.

Highly recommended.